The on-screen reason is clear: at Hell in a Cell on October 25, 2020, Tucker hit Otis with the Money in the Bank briefcase while the referee was turned away, and The Miz pinned Otis to take the contract. WWE had built the match as the payoff to The Miz’s effort to take the contract from Otis. The backstage reason is much less certain. Otis has said he did not believe there was a plan after he won the briefcase, but no WWE decision-maker has been reported explaining why the contract changed hands this way.
The storyline reason: a betrayal that set up a pin
WWE’s own coverage shows how the transfer was built into the story. The sequence ran from a fluke win in May to a courtroom-style storyline in October.
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May 10, 2020: Otis wins the briefcase by accident
WWE’s official recap of the Men’s Money in the Bank Ladder Match says AJ Styles fumbled the briefcase into Otis’s hands during the rooftop sequence at WWE headquarters. Otis did not climb a ladder to win it. The unusual finish is part of why the contract later felt so easy to take back.
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October 23, 2020: WWE sets the contract on the line
WWE’s official preview of Otis vs. The Miz framed the contract as the subject of a legal dispute and told viewers the two men would settle it at Hell in a Cell with the contract on the line. The match was presented as a fixed stake, not an open-ended feud.
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October 25, 2020: Tucker’s interference decides the finish
WWE’s match recap says Tucker struck Otis with the briefcase while the referee was looking away. The Miz capitalized and pinned Otis. In the post-match backstage segment, Tucker said he had been carrying Otis, and Otis attacked him. The betrayal, not an uncontrolled event, is the documented cause of the result.
What Otis has said about a backstage plan
The only direct account of the behind-the-scenes side that the reviewed sources supply comes from Otis himself. In a September 19, 2024 interview with Chris Van Vliet, reported by Fightful, Otis was asked about his time as Mr. Money in the Bank. His answer:
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“I don’t think there was a plan, no.”
He went on to describe a difficult day. Access to the rooftop was delayed for a long time because of COVID-related procedures, and he recalled sitting around waiting, then doing one thing and shooting it. He said the day was a shock, that health status and COVID testing could have been factors in what happened, and that there were changes along the way.
That is a recollection of the day, not a verified internal account of why the October outcome was chosen. Otis did not say who made the decision, and the reviewed sources contain no WWE statement explaining it.
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In a July 16, 2021 interview published by FOX Sports, written by Ryan Satin, Otis discussed the loss and Tucker’s turn as part of a hard period in 2020. This interview describes how the storyline affected him. It does not add new detail about the decision to put the briefcase in The Miz’s hands.
What is and is not established
Readers searching for a single backstage motive should know where the reporting stops. The table separates what each source supports from what it leaves open.
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| Question | What the source establishes | What remains unclear |
|---|---|---|
| How Otis won the briefcase | AJ Styles fumbled it into Otis’s hands; no ladder climb (WWE recap, May 10, 2020) | Whether the finish was planned as a long-term set-up |
| Why the contract was on the line at Hell in a Cell | WWE presented it as the stake of the match and of a storyline legal dispute (WWE preview, October 23, 2020) | Who chose the storyline and when the decision was made |
| How The Miz won the contract | Tucker struck Otis with the briefcase while the referee was turned away; The Miz pinned him (WWE recap, October 25, 2020) | Nothing material about the on-screen finish |
| Whether there was a plan after the May win | Otis said he did not think there was one (Fightful, September 19, 2024) | Whether WWE leadership or creative had a plan Otis was not told about |
| Whether a business reason drove the transfer | Not stated by any reviewed source | Any corporate, financial or scheduling motive |
How to read the backstage claims
Otis’s comments are the most specific evidence available, and they are firsthand. They are also retrospective, given four years after the events, and they describe the mood of a chaotic, COVID-affected day rather than a documented decision. Treat them as Otis’s experience of the situation.
Fan theories and retrospective commentary about whether the storyline was a good idea are a separate matter. They can be discussed as opinion, but they should not be presented as reporting about what happened in WWE’s offices.
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Bottom line on the question
The question has a documented answer on screen: Tucker’s betrayal gave The Miz the pin and the contract. The question of why WWE chose that outcome behind the scenes has no confirmed answer in the reviewed sources. The only direct statement from the people involved is Otis saying he did not believe there was a plan after his win.
Otis’s fallout, WWE’s own recaps and the 2024 interview are the best material to cite. Anything beyond them would be speculation.
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